Fantasy Football Rankings 2015: Early Breakdown of the Top WRs

Last season was the Year of the Rookie Receiver.

Odell Beckham's immortalized one-handed wizardry was the perfect encapsulation of a fantastic year for him and his peers. The historic class stampeded into the fantasy realm, with two hitting the top 12 and five in the top 25 in standard-scoring leagues.

Will any rookies make the top 20 this year, though?

Let's take a peek at early fantasy rankings at wide receiver, as we have done at quarterback and running back thus far. As with those rankings, these are based on expected performance in standard-scoring formats—one point for 10 rushing or receiving yards and six for touchdowns scored.

15. Brandin Cooks, New Orleans Saints

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Lost in the hubbub surrounding rookies who had big seasons was the fact that Brandin Cooks was well on his way to joining the likes of Kelvin Benjamin, Mike Evans and Odell Beckham atop the first-year statistical pyramid last season before injury hit.

Cooks integrated rather nicely into the New Orleans offense, at one point leading his team and all rookies in receptions before going down with a wrist injury in mid-November. 

Not only will he be back and fully healthy barring any new injuries, but he will likely have a bigger role in 2015.

The Saints traded receiver Kenny Stills and tight end Jimmy Graham away this past offseason, freeing up a ton of targets in the process. Many of those will naturally fall to replacements—Josh Hill or Ben Watson at tight end, for example—but Cooks stands to see an uptick to an already high target count.

That makes him a particularly palatable points-per-reception (PPR) option, but it helps his case in standard leagues, too. The more targets, the more opportunities to score fantasy points.

14. Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers

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He was a bit of a boom-or-bust proposition on a week-to-week basis, but Kelvin Benjamin certainly had a strong showing as a rookie.

Benjamin wound up with the 16th-best fantasy output in standard-scoring formats, third-best among rookies and certainly a promising total. There is little reason to think he won't move up the ranks in 2015 if he stays healthy.

That's because Benjamin remains the No. 1 option in the passing game alongside tight end Greg Olsen in Carolina. He is also a big-time red-zone threat capable of making the spectacular catch.

It's those pesky routine catches he needs to focus on improving in order to make him a more consistent option.

13. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts

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It must be nice to be Andrew Luck's top option.

A year ago it seemed like T.Y. Hilton would be one of those boom-or-bust options. He was viewed as little more than a deep threat, and Reggie Wayne was Luck's favorite target. 

As luck would have it, Wayne was injured and Hilton blossomed into a full-fledged option that could do damage all over the field. His fantasy stock was all the better for it—Hilton was a top-10 performer when all was said and done.

The question is whether he will continue to get all those targets with Andre Johnson and Phillip Dorsett in town. Those two are the main reason why Hilton isn’t ranked higher here.

That Colts passing offense is going to be ridiculous this season.

12. Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers

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It’s a good thing Randall Cobb took less money to stay in Green Bay.

The Packers were able to convince their Swiss army knife to stay, though catching passes from the reigning league MVP was certainly a draw. Moving on to a team like, say, the Jacksonville Jaguars, would have been disastrous for Cobb’s fantasy value.

As it stands, Cobb will be a top-flight option in the fantasy realm, as he was last season when he scored 204.4 fantasy points to come in sixth for the season. There will be enough volume in Green Bay to have two receivers in the top 15, as you will note when Jordy Nelson comes around later in these rankings.

11. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans

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The baton has been passed. It’s time for DeAndre Hopkins to become the fantasy star Andre Johnson once was in Houston.

Hopkins was already on his way there last season, outscoring his former mentor and ultimately making him expendable. The third-year wideout is primed to blow as the official No. 1 receiver for the Texans, even with Ryan Mallett or Brian Hoyer at quarterback.

After all, Hopkins didn’t exactly have an embarrassment of riches at quarterback last season when he ranked 14th in fantasy scoring. Of the top 16 fantasy scorers at wideout last season, Hopkins was tied for the second-fewest targets with 127.

That number should climb a bit with Johnson gone.

10. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Were it not for Odell Beckham, Mike Evans would have been Offensive Rookie of the Year. He would have also been the top fantasy scorer among rookies.

That was with Josh McCown at quarterback. The Buccaneers have a new gunslinger in town.

That would be No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston, who represents a big upgrade at quarterback even if he has yet to go through the trials and tribulations of being a rookie in the NFL. His presence under center should mean good things for Evans, who is a touchdown threat from anywhere on the field thanks to his huge catch radius.

Evans was 11th in fantasy scoring last season, and he could easily crack the top 10 if he builds on a fantastic rookie year. He might not be able to sustain a 9.8 percent touchdown rate, but that will surely be offset by an increase in targets.

9. Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears

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The baton has been passed. Wait, this sounds familiar.

Actually, that happened last season for Alshon Jeffery. The third-year wideout wrested it away from Brandon Marshall, who was traded away this offseason. Jeffery was huge last year, ranking 12th in fantasy scoring despite his No. 2 status when Marshall was healthy.

That will no longer be a problem with Marshall shipped off to New York—it's Jeffery's turn at the top of the depth chart, and that could land him in the top 10 in fantasyland.

8. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

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It's easy to look at A.J. Green's 2014 campaign and say he peaked early. He has a mediocre quarterback and plays in an offense that relies heavily on the run.

Taking a closer look at the reasons behind Green's anemic fantasy output last year would behoove us all, however.

To put it simply, Green wasn't right for most of 2014. The big wideout was knocked out of action in Week 2 with a painful ligament strain in his foot, an injury that would linger and keep him out of games later in the season. 

Green managed to top 1,000 yards and score six touchdowns despite missing three games and dealing with his nagging foot issue for most of the season. Now that he has had a full offseason to recover, we should expect him to return to form as one of the top receivers in the entire league.

7. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers

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When fully healthy, Jordy Nelson is a fantasy gold mine.

Green Bay's No. 1 receiver has finished second in fantasy scoring twice in the past four seasons, including last year when he soared on the wings of 98 receptions for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Nelson is a great wide receiver in his own right, but having Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball makes him an elite fantasy option. The only downside with Nelson is the potential for the occasional dud because Green Bay gets out ahead so quickly that the Packers run the ball a ton without getting him involved.

There is also a bit of an injury risk associated with Nelson given that he has missed some time or played hobbled throughout his career due to various maladies.

6. Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos

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Simply put, Demaryius Thomas is one of the best receivers in the game playing with one of the best quarterbacks of all time. That combination has had him finish in the top five in fantasy scoring in each of the past three seasons, and there is little reason to think he won't knock on that door again in 2015.

Sure, Peyton Manning faltered near the end of the 2014 season, but that was due to a then-undisclosed quadriceps injury. We should expect him to bounce back in a big way, even if incoming head coach Gary Kubiak's offense isn't quite as pass friendly as his predecessor's.

Granted, that was noted run-lover John Fox's offense, so take any predicted offensive slowdown with a grain of salt.

Whatever the case may be, you can bet Thomas will be heavily involved. Even if the volume of total plays decreases, Thomas shouldn't see much of a drop-off in targets—he is the No. 1 receiver, after all. He is also one of the best wideouts after the catch, making him a rather explosive option in the fantasy realm.

5. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions

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Where has Calvin Johnson gone? Are his days of fantasy dominance over?

Probably not, which is why he's ranked in the top five here.

Johnson had a disappointing 2014 campaign. Much like fellow big receiver A.J. Green, however, injuries took a toll on his season. Megatron had a damaged ankle that caused him to miss three games and affect his play when he was active, and he also dealt with an elbow injury.

He also missed two games the previous season, causing some concern about whether he can hold up for a full season these days. Big receivers tend to break down later in their careers, and Johnson is as big as they come.

It seems a bit early to make that call, though—Johnson is just 29 years old—and he is certainly a top option when fully healthy. Johnson is quarterback Matthew Stafford's favorite receiver, after all—he had the fourth-highest targets per game last season, a familiar sight out of Detroit that shouldn't change anytime soon.

Injuries are unpredictable, and Johnson still deserves top-five billing if we're going to assume health for everyone in this list.

4. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

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Last year was certainly an odd one for the top wide receivers. 

Like A.J. Green and Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones dealt with injury as well. It wasn't nearly to Green and Johnson's levels—he suffered a hip injury late in the season and missed just one game—but he certainly wasn't spared.

The real issue with Jones was his low touchdown total. He scored just six touchdowns despite 163 targets, third-most in the league. That put him at 34th in touchdown percentage among the top 40 fantasy scorers at wide receiver.

Some of that is just bad luck—Johnson had a similar issue just a couple of years ago, seemingly tackled inside the 5-yard line every other time he caught the ball in the red zone. 

In other words, we can expect a big jump in scoring from Jones if his target count remains the same. Given that he is one of the best wide receivers in the game, that seems like a reasonable expectation.

3. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys

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It seems like Dez Bryant has been in the league for a decade, hasn't it?

Bryant is a mere 26 years old, however, having been in the league just five years. He has finished in the top five in fantasy scoring the past three seasons.

The big Dallas wideout had a monster 2014 season, terrorizing opposing secondaries regardless of quality. If the Cowboys weren't so good at running the ball with DeMarco Murray, Bryant might have been atop the fantasy leaderboard at his position. 

Alas, he was only targeted 136 times—significantly fewer than Antonio Brown and Jordy Nelson, the only two wideouts to finish ahead of him. 

Bryant was also dealing with a back injury for much of the season.

Murray is gone, Bryant is healthy and the Cowboys defense may have gotten worse on paper—that is to say, Dallas might have to pass the ball more to try to keep up with opponents' scores.

2. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

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Antonio Brown continued his ascent to the ranks of the fantasy elite last season, posting the best output among his peers thanks to nearly 1,700 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. It was no fluke, either—Brown ranked seventh in fantasy scoring the year before.

Not too shabby for a 5'10", 186-pound wideout, right?

Brown makes up for his size with fantastic technique and hands, and he has earned quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's trust. 

The only thing outside of injury that can stop him heading into 2015 is a contract dispute—rumors swirled that he might skip offseason workouts because he is unhappy with his contract, something he dispelled not long after, according to ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler:

"

This is a community that I love. My kids go to school here. I want to keep a good reputation. Obviously money's not important to me. I've got enough. The organization has extremely blessed me. I'm ready to play football.

Every year I've got something to prove. I've got new guys trying to take my spot. I've got guys that want to be better than me. I've got to stay hungry.

"

It sounds like we might be in for more fantasy dominance from the relatively diminutive receiver.

1. Odell Beckham Jr, New York Giants

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If you think Odell Beckham's rookie season was a fluke, you weren't paying attention.

Beckham was a demigod, terrorizing mere mortals in secondaries across the league. Even Richard Sherman and the vaunted Seattle secondary gave up 108 yards to the nascent wideout. His insane combination of route running, separation ability and ball skills propelled him to an Offensive Rookie of the Year showing unlike any we've seen since Randy Moss.

Despite missing the first four games of the season, the rookie out of LSU wound up fifth in fantasy scoring. He did it on the wings of a torrid second half, during which he made the iconic play of the 2014 season—that spectacular one-handed grab against the Cowboys.

On a per-game basis, nobody could touch him in fantasy scoring. Beckham scored an eye-popping 17.2 standard fantasy points per game, 1.6 points per game more than his closest competitor, Antonio Brown. 

Oh, and he did this all on two bum hamstrings, per Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. Imagine what he might do if he stays healthy all year.

All fantasy statistics and rankings courtesy of FFToday.com. 

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